Hat



Oct. 22, 1935. I H 2,018,614

- HAT Filed Oct. 31, 1934 Patented Oct. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to bats and more particularly to improvements in sweat bands therefor.

Among the objects of the invention may be 5 noted the provision of a hat of improved construction; the provision of a hat having a sweat band of improved construction and design; the provision of a hat and sweat band construction which is comfortable to the wearer, durable and rugged in use, and which overcomes the disadvantages of known hat and sweat band constructions; the provision of a sweat band for hats characterized by novel design, ease in application to the hat, and comfort to the wearer of the hat to which it is applied; the provision of a sweat band which may be applied with equal facility to both felt and straw hats; the provision of a simple and improved method of hat construction; and the provision of an improved method of securing a sweat band to the hat.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out in connection with the following analysis of this invention wherein is described and illustrated a preferred mode of carrying out the present invention, together with possible modifications thereof.

In the drawing- Fig. l is a bottom perspective view of a hat and sweat band construction in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through a hat and sweat band as illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section illustrating the configuration and the mode of connection of a portion of the sweat band to the hat;

Fig. 4 is a detail further illustrating the features shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a face view of the developed sweat band blank, in accordance with the present invention.

As conducive to a clearer understanding of the improved construction and practice about to be described in relation to prior construction and practices, it may be noted that in conventional sweat bands and according to the known practices of securing such to the hats, sweat bands in prior use are generally of two kinds. The first kind or class includes sweat bands which are stitched along their lower edge and throughout their entire periphery to the hat at or about the junction of the crown and brim of the hat. Such securement is effected by means of a line of stitching which acts both to secure the lower edge of the band to the hat and also to whip the lower portion of the band into the hat along its secured lower portion. Such form of securement of the band to the hat leaves exposed portions of the securing thread, and such exposed portions of the thread contact with the head of the wearer and particularly the forehead, with the result that the thread of the stitching acts to chafe and/or cut into the skin of the forehead and is generally uncomfortable.

Certain attempts have been made to cure the disadvantages of the edge stitching mode of securement of the sweat band to the hat and such have resulted in the development of the flange type of sweat band. Such latter type of band comprises a band proper which engages the head, and an integral upwardly extending securing strip or flange disposed outwardly of the lower portion of the band and extending throughout the entire periphery thereof. securement between the hat and the band is eifected by a line of stitching between the flange and the lower crown portion of the hat proper. While contact between the head and the threads of the stitching which acts to secure the band to the hat is obviated by such an arrangement, the flange type of sweat band results in other disadvantages and discomforts to the wearer, among which may be noted the tendency of the band to cling to the head, with the result that the sweat band is pulled out of the hat when the hat is lifted and/or removed from the head. The sweat band remains in such disturbed condition until manually reset and is a source of annoyance to the wearer, as the pulledout hand must be reset before the hat is replaced on the head. a

Certain attempts have also been directed to the provision of sweat bands which are edgestitched to the under brim portion of the hat outwardly of the junction between the crown and brim thereof, with the band extending smoothly along the inner brim portion and thence into the crown and upwardly thereof. While in the latter form of construction and securement, the head is protected from contact with the stitching, the band has the same tendency to cling to the head as in the case of the flange type of. band and securement, and pulls out as the hat is lifted and/or removed from the head and must be manually reset prior to replacement of the hat on the head.

According to the present invention, I overcome the disadvantages of the aforesaid constructions and practices by the provision of a sweat band of novel design and application, of which the following is a description of the preferred form of the invention.

' conform to the generally oval shape of the crown.

Referring to the drawing, reference character l indicates generally a hat including a crown H and a brim H, the said crown and brim being joined along the junction line [3. It will be understood that the hatas shown is illustrative of a conventional hat of approved construction and material, and I do not intend to be limited with respect thereto as the sweat band to be described is applicable for use with hats generally, such as felt hats, straw hats, and the like.

Referring now to my improved sweat band construction, such comprises a band l of approved material, such as leather, of a length,

depth and configuration that when the abutting ends Ilia, l6b, are secured together and the band inserted in the crown, the band will assume and Preferably, the band is so formed that when applied to the hat it is slightly conical whereby the upper portion of the band extends inwardly from the inner wall of the hat crown relative to the lower portion of the band, thus to adapt itselfto the head of the wearer and to have a cushioning eflect.

A band blank in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in Fig. 5, and comprises an elongated band having its relatively top and bottom edges cut or otherwise formed along substantially concentric arcs whereby the band may adapt itself to the scope of the hat, the end portions ll of which are of uniform depth, with the intermediate portion l8 being of greater depth by about 1' of an inch, although such dimens'ioning may vary within reasonable limits. Such portion IQ of increased depth thus forms a tongue or flange depending from the normal lower edge .20 of the band, the lower edge oi. the

flange following generally the curvature or' In preparing the so-formed blank for application to the hat, the tongue or flange I9 is fold ed over on the body portion of the blank l5 and line of fold to fit snugly against the head, the

folded over edge of the band is beveled outwardly (Figs. 3 and 4) as by running the folded band through beveling rollers which cause the lower portion of the bandadjacent the folded edge to be turned relatively outwardly whereby the flange sets snugly against the body portion of the band. The ends Ilia, l6b, of the leather are thereupon secured to each other and preferably in abutting relation as by stitching, and the band is ready for attachment to the hat.

From the positioning of the flange or tongue I9 intermediate the ends of the band and its symmetrical relation with respect to the transverse center line of the band (Fig. 5), it will be evident that the flange is disposed along the relatively front portion of the band and along the forehead contacting portion thereof, it being un-- 5 derstood that the secured ends IBa, I622, of the band are usually disposed to the rear of the hat whereby to engage the'back of the head.

The lower edges 20 of the end portions H of the band are formed in the conventional man- 10 ner for stitching to the hat as by the known edge stitching practices. It will be understood 7 that one face of the band is preferably of fin ished appearance, and such face may be suitably sized and/or the material of the band suit- 5 ably'treated throughout to protect the band or the head contacting face thereof from staining or contamination due to the absorption of perspiration, skin oils, and the like.

Considering nowthe manner of applying the hand as above described to a hat, such as the hat l0, Figs. 1 and 2, the oval band resulting from the operations aforesaid is relatively inverted, and the securing flange portion I9, turned to unfolded position, may be disposed interiorly of the crown ll of the hat. The depth of insertionof the flange into the crown as aforesaid is substantially the depth of the flange, and preferably slightly less than such depth, so that when the band proper i5 is folded and set into the crown of the hat, its beveled edge extends slightly below the Junction line I3 of the hat crown and brim. The arrangement of insertion is further such that the finished or hat contacting surface of the band faces outwardly, with the 85 band portion proper extending downwardly or below the under brim surface/as indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 3. As to the positioning of the flange about the periphery of the hat crown, the flange is so positioned that it extends across the a) front head portion of the hat and symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal center line thereof.

With the so positioned flange suitably held against the inner wall of the crown and adjacent "5 the brim, a line of stitching'22 (Figs. 3 and 4) is passed through the material of the lower crown and into the flange l9 whereby to secure the flange in the position aforesaid. Preferably, the stitches are not passed through the entire thickness of the flange but, rather, are passed partly therethrough so as to be caught by the material of the flange, as indicated in Fig. 4. Thus, the stitching is substantially concealed when viewing the flange from within the hat crown, and in this manner the thread of the stitching is maintained out of contact with the head and thus there is little possibility of absorption by the threads of perspiration, skin oils, and the like. 7

Upon completion of the stitching of the flange to the inner crown portion of the hat as aforesaid, the band proper I5 is folded into the crown and about the line of fold with respect to the flange l9 which is a substantial continuation of I the bottom edge 20 of the end portions I! of the sweat band proper. When the band is so folded into the crown, it will be apparent that the flange I9 is disposed intermediate the inner crown surfaceand the band proper l5, and that the beveling of the lower edge of the band causes said band to lie closely against the hat at its junction portion l3, whereby the band may snugly fit the head. Thereupon, a line of stitching 23 is passed through the edge 20 of the end portions of the N sweat band and the material of the hat whereby to secure such edge portions to the hat at about the junction line l3 of the crown H and brim I2, as is conventional, and in such manner that said edges 20 extend slightly on to the under brim surface. Such line of stitching 23 further acts to whip the lower edge of the end portions I! of the band into close contact with the hat along its junction line I3 whereby the sweat band conforms to the generally oval shape of the hat.

As will be understood, the hat is provided with an ornamental exterior band 25 which is applied in the usual manner, and such band 25 acts to obscure from view the line of stitching 22, as well as to provide an ornamental and neat appearance to the hat, as is well understood. The hat may further be provided with an inner tip or crown lining 26, if desired.

By the aforesaid construction of the sweat band and its mode of application to the hat, the sweat band is held to the hat along its front or forehead contacting portion by the line of stitching 22 which functions to secure the flange I9 to the lower portion of the hat crown. The thread of such stitching in nowise contacts with the skin of the forehead and, further, the double thickness of material formed by the sweat band and the flange acts as a cushion. In such manner, comfort to the wearer is assured, especially because no thread or line of stitching can cut or chafe the skin of the temples and/or forehead as would be present if the sweat band were stitched to the hat across the front or forehead engaging portion by the conventional edge stitching practices.

Throughout the side and back portions of the head, which are generally protected by hair, the sweat band is secured by the edge stitching 23. Such edge stitching in contact with the head portions protected by hair is not only not objectionable but is desirable, whereby to overcome the tendency of the sweat band to cling to the rear part of the head and to pull out of the hat when the hat is being raised and/or removed, which latter tendency accompanies the use of the flange type of securement to secure the rear portion of the sweat band to the hat.

It will be evident from the foregoing that a sweat band in accordance with the foregoing and applied by the practice of the present invention, overcomes the disadvantages attendant to the use of both the flange method of securing a sweat band and to the use of the edge stitching method of securing the sweat band, throughout the entire crown periphery. The resulting arrangement is such that comfort and convenience to the wearer of the hat to which the sweat band is applied is assured, and at the same time the continual annoyances resulting from the sweat band pulling out of the hat are obviated. Further, the aforesaid hat and sweat band construction is of a rugged and durable nature. It will also be obvious to those skilled in the art that the sweat band in accordance with the present invention is capable of ready and inexpensive manufacture by known methods and practices and may be readily applied to the hat without substantial departure from known practices.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of this invention that others can by applying current knowledge read- 5 ily adapt it for various applications without omitting certain features that from the standpoint of the prior art fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention, and therefore such adaptations 10 should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalency of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a hat construction, the combination of a hat having a crown and a brim, a sweat band disposed interiorly of the crown and adjacent the brim, the band having an upturned bottom flange disposed between the inner crown surface and the band and folded with respect to the band along a line of fold which is a continuation of the normal bottom edge of the band, the flange extending along the forehead engaging portion only of the band, means for securing the flange to the hat crown, and means for securing the normal bottom edge of the portions of the band engaging the sides and back of the head to the hat at about the junction of the crown and brim thereof.

2. In a hat construction, the combination of a hat having a crown and a brim, a sweat band disposed interiorly of the crown and adjacent the brim, the band having an upturned bottom flange disposed between the inner crown surface and the band and folded with respect to the band along a line 01' fold which is a continuation of the normal bottom edge of the band, the flange extending along the forehead engaging portion only of the band, the band and flange being beveled outwardly along the line of fold 0 between the band and flange, means for securing the flange to the hat crown, and a line of stitching for securing the normal bottom edge I of the portions of the band which engage the sides and back of the head to the hat at about the line of junction between the crown and brim thereof, said line of stitching being operative to position the band adjacent its so secured edge in close contact with the hat along its junction line as aforesaid.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a hat sweat band comprising an elongated band of leather, the relatively top and bottom edges of which are formed along substantially concentric arcs, the band intermediate its ends having an arcuate flange and the flange being folded with respect to the body portion of the band on a line of fold which is substantially a continuation of the bottom edge of the end portions of the band which are devoid of such flange, the length of the 00 flange being substantially the distance across the forehead of the wearer of the hat to which the band is applied, and the band and flange being bevelled outwardly along the aforesaid line of fold.

FRANK H. LEE. 

